Shawl Geometry: Half Circles
This is the sixteenth post in a series about different shawl shapes and how to knit them. All the posts in the series can be found right here.
Today we have long post about half circles.
You can work a half circle either using the wedge, the pi circular shawl shaping, or the concentric circles of increases, simply cut everything in half.
1/2 Wedge Circle from the top down
To create a 1/2 Wedge Circle, you work half of the wedges that form the full Wedge Circle. Since the full Wedge Circle is an octagon, made up of eight wedges, then the 1/2 Wedge Circle is formed from four wedges.
Knitting Instructions
CO 8sts.
{4 border sts + 4 sections}
R1: k2, (pm, yo, k1) 4 times, k2.
R2: purl across.
R3: k2, (sm, yo, k to marker) 4 times, k2.
R4: purl across.
Rep R3&4 to desired dimensions.
Bind off loosely.
1/2 Wedge Circle from the bottom up
Calculating your cast on
Determine your final gauge and the desired depth of your shawl.
[Row gauge] x [desired depth] = [# of rows]
[# of rows] / 2 = [# of dec rows]
[# of dec rows] x [4sts decreased per dec row] = [# of sts decreased]
Make sure this number is divisible by 4.
[# of sts decreased] = [# of sts to CO]
Calculating your stitch marker placement
[# of sts to CO] / [4 shawl sections] = [# of sts in one section aka Y]
Knitting Instructions
CO [# of sts to CO].
R1: (pm, ssk, kY minus two) 4 times.
R2: purl across.
R3: (sm, ssk, k to marker) 4 times.
R4: purl across.
Rep R3&4 to 4sts.
Bind off loosely.
1/2 Pi Circle from the top down
Rather than removing wedges to turn a full PI circle, like we do with the Wedge Circle (or Octagon Circle), because there are no wedges to remove, we simply cast on for half the number of stitches in the main body of the shawl and then let the PI Shawl Shaping do the rest of the work for us.
Knitting Instructions
CO 7sts.
{4 border sts + 3 main body sts}
Section A: p1 row.
Inc Row: k2, (yo, k1) to last 2sts, k2.
Section B: St st 2 rows.
Inc Row: p2, (yo, p1) to last 2sts, p2.
Section C: St st 4 rows.
Inc Row: k2, (yo, k1) to last 2sts, k2.
Section D: St st 8 rows.
Inc Row: p2, (yo, p1) to last 2sts, p2.
Section E: St st 16 rows.
Inc Row: k2, (yo, k1) to last 2sts, k2.
Section F: St st 32 rows.
Inc Row: p2, (yo, p1) to last 2sts, p2.
Section G: St st 64 rows.
Inc Row: k2, (yo, k1) to last 2sts, k2.
Continue to desired dimensions.
Bind off loosely.
1/2 Pi Circle from the bottom up
Calculating your number of rounds
Determine your final gauge and desired depth of your shawl.
[Row gauge] x [desired depth] = [# of rows total]
This will be your magic number.
Calculating your shaping using increases
Determine how many stitches you want as the bind off at the center of your shawl.
Next work out shaping for a PI Circle as you would if you were knitting it from the center out. Work out the instructions for your shawl pattern until you reach your shawl’s magic number.
Remember: your magic number is your TOTAL number of rows knit, NOT the number of rows in one section.
Example calculations
We’ll use the same math we did for the top down version of this shawl.
So if your magic number (number of rows total) is 100 and your desired BO number is 3sts, the calculations for your shaping would be as follows:
CO 3sts.
Section A: St st 1 row.
Inc Row: (yo, k1). 6sts.
Section B: St st 2 rows.
Inc Row: (yo, p1). 12sts.
Section C: St st 4 rows.
Inc Row: (yo, k1). 24sts.
Section D: St st 8 rows.
Inc Row: (yo, p1). 48sts.
Section E: St st 16 rows.
Inc Row: (yo, k1). 96sts.
Section F: St st 32 rows.
Inc Row: (yo, p1). 192sts.
Section G: St st 31 rows.
Notice how we stopped in the middle of a section?
If we hadn’t stopped at our magic number of rows (100) we would have worked 64 rows, not 31 rows, in that last section (section G).
We stopped because, if you add up all of the rows (not counting the CO) you get 100. Which is the magic number for this particular shawl.
Turning your increases into decreases
Once you’ve worked out your calculations as though you were knitting from the center out, you knit a shawl from the edge in, by working backwards.
To do this, the number of stitches in your final increase row (when working center out) becomes your cast on number. And rather than working increase rows that double your stitch count, you work decrease rows that cut the number of stitches on your needles in half.
Knitting Instructions
CO 192sts.
Section A: St st 31 rows.
Dec Row: (p2tog) across. 96sts.
Section B: St st 32 rows.
Dec Row: (k2tog) across. 48sts.
Section C: St st 16 rows.
Dec Row: (p2tog) across. 24sts.
Section D: St st 8 rows.
Dec Row: (k2tog) across. 12sts.
Section E: St st 4 rows.
Dec Row: (p2tog) across. 6sts.
Section F: St st 2 rows.
Dec Row: (k2tog) across. 3sts.
Section G: St st 1 row.
Bind off loosely.
1/2 Octagon Circle from the top down
Since a full Octagon Circle is made up of eight wedges, the 1/2 Octagon Circle is made up of four wedges. This shawl is shaped using three pairs of increases (or decreases) plus two single increases (or decreases) along either edge.
Knitting Instructions
For a shawl with shaping every 4th round:
CO 11sts.
{4 border sts + 4 sections + 3 spines}
R1: k2, (pm, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1) 4 times, k1.
R2, 4, 6, 8: purl across.
R3, 7: knit across.
R5: k2, (sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1) 4 times, k1.
Rep R5-8 to desired dimensions.
Bind off loosely.
For a shawl with shaping every 6th round:
CO 11sts.
{4 border sts + 4 sections + 3 spines}
R1: k2, (pm, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1) 4 times, k1.
R2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12: purl across.
R3, 5, 9, 11: knit across.
R7: k2, (sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1) 4 times, k1.
Rep R7-12 to desired dimensions.
Bind off loosely.
1/2 Octagon Circle from the bottom up
I’ve included here the calculations and instructions for working an Octagon Circle from the hem in with your shaping worked every 4th round.
Calculating your cast on
Determine your final gauge and the desired depth of your shawl.
[Row gauge] x [desired depth] = [# of rows]
[# of rows] / [4 rows in a dec rep] = [# of dec reps]
[# of dec reps] x [8sts decreased per dec rep] = [# of sts decreased]
Make sure this number is divisible by 8.
[# of sts decreased] = [# of sts to CO]
Calculating your stitch marker placement
[# of sts decreased] / [4 shawl sections] = [# of sts in one section aka Y]
Knitting Instructions
CO [# of sts to CO].
R1: (pm, ssk, kY minus four, k2tog) 4 times.
R2, 4, 6, 8: purl across.
R3, 7: knit across.
R5: (sm, ssk, k to 2sts before marker, k2tog) 4 times.
Rep R5-8 to 8sts.
Bind off loosely.
The previous post: 3/4 Squares
The next post: Wedge Crescent
Oh! Hello hello Friday.
Hello, hello, Friday. You are mighty sneaky.
It’s been how many weeks of missed FO Fridays? Fridays. They are sneaky, sneaky. So I’m looking for a new way to notice and mark Fridays.
I really like the idea of FO Friday, but it’s not quite sitting right anymore. It feels forced and awkward.
I just don’t work on projects that can be finished in a week. Then I don’t have an FO to show one Friday, so I take that Friday off, and then I feel a little bad. Then one Friday becomes a string of Fridays, and I feel guilty. ick
THEN when I do finish something, I want to show you! And I don’t want to wait till the next Friday. But I feel like I should. More guilt. more ick
I still want to talk about and show you finished objects. And I absolutely will! (Because I love it.) Just not necessarily on a Friday, and most definitely not every Friday.
So I’m looking for a new way of acknowledging Fridays.
Qualities I want in this new marking of Friday:
ease, simplicity, elegance, spaciousness, flexibility.
A combination-type-thing of Havi’s Friday Chickening, Tara’s Adventures, WIP Wednesdays/FO Fridays, and me.
With some elegant simplicity please.
I’m not sure what form this new “noticing Friday” could take. Or what exactly it’ll look like.
But I’m open to ideas. And I’m willing to play and adjust until it feels right. Comfortable.
The Comments:
I’d love to hear thoughts, ideas, stories, about marking time, or noticing time.
I’d rather not have “shoulds.”
Shawl Geometry: Square with a Diagonal Slit
This is the thirteenth post in a series about different shawl shapes and how to knit them. All the posts in the series can be found right here.
Square with a Diagonal Slit from the center out
The Square with a Diagonal Slit is a variation on the Square Knit in the Round. Instead of being knit in the round, the Square with a Diagonal Slit is worked flat, with the “slit” splitting one pair of increases (or decreases).
This shawl shape sits sort of like a cape. It rests easily on your shoulders and doesn’t slide around. Plus, no need to fold your square in half, hiding part of your pattern.
Knitting Instructions
CO 11sts.
{4 border sts + 4 sections + 3 spines}
R1: k2, (pm, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1) 4 times, k1.
R2: purl across.
R3: k2, (sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1) 4 times, k1.
R4: purl across.
Rep R3&4 to desired dimensions.
Bind off loosely.
Square with a Diagonal Slit from the hem in
Like many other shawl shapes, the Square with a Diagonal Slit can also be worked from the center out, and from the hem in.
Calculating your cast on
Determine your final gauge, and the desired width of your square.
[Desired width] / 2 = [width from CO to BO]
[Width from CO to BO] x [row gauge] = [# of rows]
[# of rows] / 2 = [# of dec rows]
[# of dec rows] x [8sts decreased per dec row] = [# of sts decreased]
Make sure this number is divisible by 8.
[# of sts decreased] = [# of sts to CO]
[# of sts to CO] / [4 shawl sections] = [# of sts in one section aka Y]
Knitting Instructions
CO [# of sts to CO].
R1: (pm, ssk, kY minus four, k2tog) 4 times.
R2: purl across.
R3: (sm, ssk, k to 2sts before marker, k2tog) 4 times.
R4: purl across.
Rep R3&4 to 8sts.
Bind off loosely.
The previous post: Rectangles
The next post: Circles with a Slit
